In 2009, the LRI awarded Hongbo Chi, PhD, at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis a Novel Research Grant to build on his discovery of a new pathway in the immune system that might provide keys to understanding and treating lupus and other autoimmune illnesses.

Just a year later, he’s made rapid headway in doing just these things.

“The LRI has made it possible for us to move forward on our initial discovery, leading to the identification of a novel mechanism of immune regulation,” said Dr. Chi. “Now we will continue to explore whether this pathway can be targeted to treat lupus and other autoimmune diseases.”